Toy building-block



2 sheets-sum 1.

(No Model.)

0. W; FROST. .TOY BUILDING BLOCK.

No. 294,607. v Patented Mar; 4, 1884.

5 Wain asses- (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

0; wQPRosT, 'TOY BUILDING BLOL'K. I No; 294,607. ;*Patented Mar. 4,1884.

- llHllll n l .Fqm:

Witnesses: In z/emot:

EEEEEE RS. Pimwulhnlnphi. Wm D- C.

Nrrnn STATES PATENT @rrictz.

CHARLES w. rnos'r, OF'PIIILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

TOY BUILDING-BLOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent'No. 294,60' r, dated March 4, 1884. Application filed November 531, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. Fnosr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Toy Building-Blocks; and I do hereby declare the follow ing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, in which Figures 1, 2, and 3 are perspectives of blocks, of whole, half, and quarter sizes, respectively.

Fig. 4 is a perspective of cornice-block; and.

Fig. 5, a similar view, reduced scale, of sill and door blocks, latter partly broken away. Fig.

6 is a perspective of whole, half, and quarter angular block having rabbeted edges, one of which is slotted; second, aseries of such blocks of whole, half, and quarter sizes; third, sills, cornices, and -door and window frames for use with such blocks.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,A indicates a hollow rectangular block, composed of four sides, or two side and two end pieces, the side pieces being indicated by the letters a a, and the end pieces by the letters a a.

Said four pieces are held together at theirlines of contact in any suitable manner, as by pinning, gluing, nailing, or by tongue and groove. Their edges are rabbeted, as shown at b and 0, respectively, the groove 1) beinginside the sides of the block, and the flange or shoulder 0 outside of or projecting above the main body of the block. The rabbets on the inner sides should be of sufficient depth to receive the flanges or rabbet's c of another block. I

Said flanges c are slotted, as shown at 0, so as to afford spaces for the rabbeted ends or sides of other blocks when arranged to lap on one another or to break joints, and to permit blocks of different sizes to be fitted together. Said slots should be wide enough to receive the rabbeted edges of two adjoining blocks. All the blocks, if desired, may be uniform in size; but to produce a pleasing variety, and to provide for making structures or designs not otherwise attainable, I provide a series of blocks of different sizes, having the relative proportions of wholes, halves, and quarters. The half-blocks are shown atD and the quarters at E, the former having all its projecting flanges or rabbets d slotted, as shown at d, while the latter has the flanges of only two of its sides slotted, the other two sides or ends'being left intact; but the number of sides slot- 'ted in any or all of the blocks, as well as the number of slots in each side,may be increased and diminished at will.

Various other parts of an architectural structure or design besides the components of the walls-such as door and window frames,

sills, cornices, &c.may be made upon the angular block having'its edges rabbeted, the

projecting rabbet or flange i being formed on sides which are elongated or extended to form the jamb, to which a door is attached. Awin- ,dow-frame may be made in the same manner and of the same or of different proportions.

Figs. 8, 9, 10 show a structure or design, in

- which several of the blocks already described are combined but this illustrates only one of an almost endless varietyof compositions which may be obtained with said blocks.

The blocks herein described are intended to be made of wood, the sides to be separate pieces unitedtogether; but, if desired, papier- IOO mach or other material may be substituted for wood, and the sides may be made integral or in one piece.

The rabbets may be made either by cutting or grooving the sides, or by attaching separate pieces to the latter, as shown at K in Fig. 7.

\Vhat I claim as 'my invention is as follows:

1. A hollow rectangular building or toy block having rabbeted edges on opposite sides, the rabbet or edge on one side being slotted, substantially as shown and described.

2. A series of building or toy blocks of whole, half, and quartersizes, relatively, all theblocks of the series being hollow, rectangular, and rabbeted on opposite sides, the rabbets on one side of each block being slotted for engagement with lapping blocks or blocks of different sizes, substantially as shown and described.

3. Door or window frames for blockstructures or designs, the same consisting of hollow rectangular blocks having elongated sides, with rabbets or flanges, substantially as shown and described.

4. The combination, with a series of hollow rectangular building blocks having slotted rabbeted edges, of sills, cornices, and door and window frames having rabbeted edges, and adapted and designed to engage with said blocks, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 16th day of November, 1883.

CHARLES wrnosr.

Vitnesses:

H. D. CONNOLLY, WILL H. POWELL. 

